Non-homogeneous Markov models for healthcare systems modelling

Abstract

In previous work, Markov chain models have been used for healthcare systems, where the states in hospital are described as phases, such as acute, rehabilitation, or long-stay and likewise social care in the community may be described using phases such as dependent, convalescent, or nursing home. This allows us to adopt a unified approach to health and community care, rather than focusing on the improvement of part of the system to the possible detriment of other components. Here, this approach has been extended to show how the non-homogeneous Markov framework can be used to obtain various metrics of interest and extract patient pathways.